Quick Answer
If you searched for the Communication & Social Skills course from MicroLearn Ltd: it is an online eLearning series of 13 short workplace courses, sold to employers rather than individuals. There is no free public version, and we found no MicroLearn app in the App Store. MicroLearn is now part of The Access Group, so if your employer assigned the course, open it through your company's training portal.
If you want to learn the same skills in short lessons on your own phone, the closest microlearning apps are Gleam (short social skills lessons, free version with a daily limit), LinkedIn Learning (many public libraries offer it with a library card), Blinkist and Headway (book summaries), Yoodli (5 free speaking sessions) and NerdSip (one sample course a day without an account, for conversation material). Each one works only if the lesson turns into something you do the same day.
Looking for the best communication skills app overall, including AI speech coaches and live practice? That comparison is in our main guide to the best apps to improve communication skills. This page is about MicroLearn's course and short-lesson apps.
Store listings, ratings and the App Store search were re-checked on November 6, 2026. The MicroLearn course list and formats come from MicroLearn's own catalog, checked on October 31, 2026. We have not taken the MicroLearn courses or used these apps ourselves.
MicroLearn's Communication & Social Skills Course: What It Is
MicroLearn was a UK eLearning company. The Access Group says it acquired MicroLearn in 2019 and has since moved MicroLearn's learning platform and products into Access Learning and Access eLearning.
What's in it
MicroLearn's 2020 course catalog lists 13 courses in the Communication & Social Skills range, "designed to help employees become more confident and effective in their workplace communication":
| Course | What it covers in plain terms |
|---|---|
| How to be Assertive | Saying what you need without being pushy |
| Body Language | Reading and sending nonverbal signals |
| What's Not Being Said? | Picking up on what people imply |
| Effective Writing | Clear workplace writing |
| Asking the Right Questions | Questions that get useful answers |
| Expressing Yourself | Getting your point across |
| Active Listening | Showing people you heard them |
| Presenting with Confidence | Speaking in front of a group |
| Presenting Data | Explaining numbers clearly |
| Communicating with Emotional Intelligence | Handling feelings in conversation |
| Social Media Awareness | Professional behavior online |
| Communicating Under Pressure | Staying clear when stakes are high |
| Workplace Diplomacy | Handling tricky colleagues and politics |
The course titles come from MicroLearn's catalog; the plain-terms column is our summary of what each title points to, since the catalog lists titles rather than lesson outlines.
Format
MicroLearn's flagship format is a 15-minute module: a whiteboard-style explainer video, some extended learning, and a short quiz. It also sold shorter video-only versions, some about two minutes long. All formats are SCORM files, which is the standard package a company's learning management system plays. That is why you can't simply download the course yourself.
Is it free, and can you take it online?
- Online: Yes. It is delivered online through an employer's learning platform, and MicroLearn said at launch that its content can be opened on a phone as well as a computer.
- Free: Not to the public. It is licensed to organizations. We found no free public version from MicroLearn or The Access Group.
- App: When we searched the US App Store for "microlearn" and for "communication & social skills" on November 6, 2026, neither search showed an app from MicroLearn or The Access Group. Apps with similar names come from other developers.
If your employer gave you access, ask HR or your manager for the link to your training portal. If you just want the skills, the apps and free guides below cover the same ground.
Free Ways To Learn The Same 13 Skills
You can cover most of MicroLearn's syllabus with free resources:
- Active listening, asking questions, emotional intelligence: Gleam's free lessons cover these, and so do our free guides to active listening and asking better follow-up questions.
- Body language and what's not being said: start with our guide to nonverbal communication skills.
- Assertiveness, diplomacy, communicating under pressure: LinkedIn Learning has courses on assertiveness and difficult conversations, and many public libraries offer it with a library card.
- Presenting with confidence: Yoodli's free plan gives you 5 recorded practice sessions with feedback, and Toastmasters lets guests visit clubs for free.
Microlearning Apps That Teach The Same Skills
| App | Best for | Free option | Rating (US App Store, Nov 6 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gleam: Social Intelligence | Social and communication skills lessons | Same lessons, daily limit | 4.7 (about 12,100) |
| Blinkist | Ideas from communication books | Free to download, paid plans | 4.8 (about 158,000) |
| Headway | Book summaries and daily sessions | Free trial | 4.6 (about 117,000) |
| LinkedIn Learning | Workplace communication courses | Free trial; many libraries offer it | 4.8 (about 78,000) |
| Yoodli | Speaking practice with feedback | 5 lifetime sessions | Web app |
| NerdSip | Things to talk about | 1 sample course a day, no account | iOS and Android |
NerdSip is a learning app made by ai51, the company that publishes this site.
1. Gleam: the closest consumer version of a communication course
Gleam: Social Intelligence teaches communication, emotional intelligence, small talk, interviews and conflict in short gamified lessons, pitched at about five minutes a day. It is the nearest thing to a MicroLearn-style syllabus you can download yourself. The developer says in replies to App Store reviews that the free version has the same lessons with a daily limit; the subscription is $12.99 a month or a yearly plan. Reviewers like the format and criticize the AI-made content and paywall. Our Gleam app review has the details.
2. Blinkist: best for ideas from books
Blinkist turns nonfiction books into short text and audio summaries. It is free to download with paid plans; check what you get without paying when you sign up. Useful for ideas from books on listening, influence and difficult conversations.
Tradeoff: summaries flatten nuance, and reading about listening is not the same as listening.
3. Headway: best for a daily summary habit
Headway, listed in the App Store as "Headway - Daily Micro Learning", offers short book summaries you can read or hear, plus a daily session. It is free to download with a free trial, then a subscription.
Tradeoff: like any summary app, it is easy to finish ten summaries and change nothing about how you talk.
4. LinkedIn Learning: best for workplace communication
LinkedIn Learning has a deep library on feedback, meetings, presenting and assertiveness, in short videos. It is a paid subscription after a trial, but LinkedIn's help page for library patrons explains how to use it with a library card, so check your library first. For a workplace-only comparison, see apps for workplace communication practice.
5. Yoodli: best for two-minute speaking reps
Microlearning for speaking has to happen out loud. Yoodli records a short answer and reports on pace, filler words and structure. The free Starter plan includes 5 lifetime sessions, and paid plans start at $8 a month billed annually.
6. NerdSip: best for one thing to talk about
NerdSip builds a five-minute micro-course on almost any topic you type in, so you can prepare for the specific conversation ahead: a dinner, a date, a client call. Without an account you can read one sample course a day. It does not teach communication technique; it gives you something worth saying. Get it at nerdsip.com.
Looking for NerdSip alternatives?
If NerdSip's format doesn't suit you, the closest alternatives depend on what you used it for. For ideas from books, Blinkist and Headway. For structured lessons on social skills specifically, Gleam. For workplace courses, LinkedIn Learning. Each has a free way in listed above.
For speech coaching, AI role-play and live practice, see the main guide to the best apps to improve communication skills and its gap test table.
Why Microlearning Works Here, And Where It Doesn't
Microlearning is strong at reducing friction. A five-minute lesson asks little of you, so you actually open it. But communication is something you do with your mouth and your timing, not something you know. If the lesson never leaves the app, microlearning becomes tiny entertainment.
The fix is the learn-say-use loop:
- Learn one concept in five minutes. Example: "Ask about the second detail, not the first."
- Say it out loud once in one sentence, alone or into a recorder.
- Use it once with a real person the same day. Someone says they went hiking. Skip "Where?" and ask, "What made you pick that trail?"
That adds up to under ten minutes, and it is the version that changes how you talk.
Mistakes To Avoid
Collecting insights. Insights feel good, but communication improves through behavior. Keep a one-line "try this today" note after each lesson.
Choosing lessons that are too abstract. A lesson on charisma is less useful than a lesson on asking one clearer question. Favor skills you can try in one interaction.
Skipping the out-loud part. If you want to speak better, some of the practice has to happen out loud. Silent learning has a ceiling.
Final Recommendation
If your employer assigned MicroLearn's Communication & Social Skills course, get the link from your training portal; it isn't available as a free download. If you're learning on your own, start with Gleam's free lessons or LinkedIn Learning through your library, use Yoodli's free sessions for speaking, and pair every lesson with one real conversation the same day.
Updated November 6, 2026: store ratings and the App Store search re-checked; this page now covers MicroLearn's course and short-lesson apps only. The general app comparison lives on the best apps to improve communication skills page.